Samantha Markle accuses Meghan of lying about paying her own university fees

THE Duchess of Sussex has won fans for her tour of the Pacific region. But her biggest critic says she’s told a bare-faced lie.

MEGHAN Markle’s half-sister has claimed the duchess told a big lie in her first official speech on the Royal Tour.

According to Samantha Markle, the Duchess of Sussex was “delusionally absurd” to claim to an audience at the University of the South Pacific’s campus in Fiji yesterday that she had paid her own university fees, using scholarships and financial aid programs.

MORE: Meghan rushed out of marketplace over ‘security risk’

In an angry since-deleted tweet, Samantha criticised her sibling, claiming it was actually their father, Thomas Markle Senior, who’d forked out the money for her education.

Samantha has hit out at her half-sister. again

In her widely-praised speech on Tuesday, Meghan told the crowd that she understood the “personal feeling of pride and excitement” that came with attending university.

“I am also fully aware of the challenges of being able to afford this level of schooling for many people around the world — myself included,” she said.

“It was through scholarships, financial aid programs and work-study where my earnings from a job on campus went directly towards my tuition — that I was able to attend university. And, without question, it was worth every effort.”

Prince Harry and Meghan will travel from Fiji to Tonga today. Credit: Matrix

Samantha later doubled down on her claims, even tagging the official Kensington Palace Twitter page in her accusations.

“Our father paid for all of her education! This speech is not true,” she wrote, adding: “Our father paid for all of her education, this is an outrageous lie! She needs to stop hiding the truth.”

She tagged Kensington Royal and an unverified account linked to Prince William.

She then listed all the institutions their father had paid for — claiming he financed Meghan’s education at the Little Red School House, Immaculate Heart, and Northwestern University — before demanding “proof” of her scholarships.

“Proof, let’s see proof of scholarships and grants. Dad paid for her education, all of it. If she worked at all, it was for extra shoe money and party money,” Samantha wrote.

Thomas Markle Senior has previously claimed that he paid Meghan’s $41,980-a-year tuition after winning $1.586 million on a lottery.

“When Meghan was 11, she moved back in with me up until she was 17 and went to college,” he told the Daily Mail last year.

“I was having my good years then, making good money, and could afford to give her the best, with a good school, good education, good home. She became the woman that she is today thanks to everything I did for her.”

Despite the negativity from her half-sister surrounding her university speech, the Duchess of Sussex’s first official royal tour with Prince Harry has so far been widely considered a raging success.

The Duke and Duchess are currently visiting Fiji and Tonga, but will return to Sydney on Friday. Credit: Phil Noble/Pool Photo via AP

The tour briefly hit a rough patch yesterday, with security having to whisk Meghan out of a Fijian marketplace just six minutes in to a planned 20-minute appearance.

It’s understood the pregnant royal whispered to an aide just minutes before she was whisked out of the public meet-and-greet due to a “security risk”.

Stressed-looking security guards lead Meghan out of the marketplace. Photo: Ian Vogler - Pool/Getty Images

Massive crowds had swarmed the Suva Municipal Market in a bid to catch a glimpse of her.

An onlooker claimed Meghan appeared to “look concerned” as she entered the “hot and humid” market.

“When she got into the market she looked really disengaged, not her usual self at all,” they told UK newspaper The Mirror.

“She stopped to speak to a pineapple seller on one of the stalls and had a very blank and disengaged look on her face, which is very unlike her.

“It was very hot and humid in there so perhaps it wasn’t the best environment for a pregnant woman.

“After speaking for about a minute she broke off and spoke to the same aide again before she was whisked out of the market very soon after.”

Pictures showed members of the security team and local authorities looking flustered as they quickly guided Meghan out.

The Duchess gave an apologetic wave to her fans as she was escorted out, brushing her fringe out of her face.

Kensington Palace later claimed Meghan’s sudden exit was due to a “security risk”.